Plan Ahead for Winter Touring
The leaves have fallen. The air is getting cooler. Stick season has begun.
We can admire our skis and boards, tune them up, maybe even take them out to the one trail open at our local resort. But, what else is there to do while we wait for the woods to fill with snow?
There is a better way to prepare for the deep snows to arrive. With a little bit of preseason strengthening, you can be skinning and touring this winter without aches and pains. Imagine beating your Strava time or being the first one waiting at the top after a long slog. It could happen with a little bit of work on the front-end.
Strengthen for Success
When you tour in the backcountry, you can’t just be prepared for the downhill, you have to also be prepared for the unique demands that the uphill requires of our bodies. Our glutes, hip flexors, core, and even shoulders are subjected to a lot of stress climbing on skis or splitboards.
Summit Physical Therapy in Stowe specializes in performance physical therapy. We work with skiers, snowboarders, and other outdoor explorers like yourself . We love the backcountry, so we understand the specific demands that these sports put on the body.
Below are four excellent exercises to use during stick season (and beyond) to prep for the backcountry touring ahead.
Backcountry Touring Preseason Exercises
- Warm up by jogging in place, jumping jacks, or another activity that gets your heart up and your body warm for about 5 minutes.
- Aim for 2 sets of 10 reps of each exercise. Too easy? Do 3 sets of each exercise.
- For videos of the exercises, visit our blog at www.summitptvt.com/blog or our Instagram page @summitphysicaltherapyvt
Lat Pull Down
This move targets the muscles that you engage when climbing uphill using your poles. Keep your core engaged and shoulders down away from your ears.
Knee Drive With Heel Raise
Put a band around your feet for added resistance. Focus on driving your knee straight forward while you simultaneously lift your opposite heel from the ground.
Walking Lunge
Keep your knees in line with the middle of your foot. Drop your back knee down to about 1-2 inches from the floor. This also makes a great warm up before starting out on your skis! When you feel comfortable with this, hold dumbbells in your hands.
Bear Plank Bird Dog
Engage your core to maintain your balance. If this is too challenging, either just start with a static bear plank (no arms/legs moving), or only move one arm or leg at a time.
Give these exercises a try 3-4 days per week in conjunction with your other fitness routines. If you have any specific questions, or are dealing with any lingering aches and pains that you’d like to get taken care of before ski season begins, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at info@summitptvt.com.
